Every Tear A Mother Cries
by Saran VD
Summary: OC Centric. Neytiri wasn't the only one to lose a loved one in the destruction of Hometree. Based on an OC from a multichap I'm writing, constructive criticism encouraged.


**A/N: Okay, I have no business writing a new oneshot when I have a bunch of in-progress multichaps to work on… but I couldn't resist. This is OC-centric, based on a character who you meet in my **_**Avatar**_** multichap, "Choices." However, reading that story isn't necessary for this one to be enjoyed (though that is what the ending alludes to). Takes place around the time of the destruction of Hometree.**

**It's been almost a month since I've last seen the movie, so if the details of some canon events are off, I'm really sorry (though I did change some on purpose). I'm basing this off of summaries I'm finding online.**

**Glossary of Na'vi at the end of the fic.**

**PS: Congrats to AVATAR'S three Oscar wins! :) Wish I could say that I owned it, but James Cameron and such get that happy right… However, Ereyuk, Stepoma, Tani, and Aw'hun are MINE!!! :D**

**THIMBLES! And on with the fic…**

**Saran VD**

Every Tear A Mother Cries

_Every day seems to be_

_More empty than the last._

_Everywhere the sun once shone,_

_A shadow has been cast._

_Every moment that you're gone_

_Is a moment dark and grey_

_Every tear a mother cries_

_Is a dream that's washed away._

~ "Every Tear A Mother Cries," from the musical _Honk!_

~!~

"Come on, Tani!" the young Na'vi woman coaxed. She held her hands out, arms open wide, waiting for a response.

It came in the form of a small boy, no more than two years old, toddling towards her. He was uneasy on his feet, smiling and laughing even as his feet were tentative. The woman's mate, who sat maybe five meters away, was watching with the same delighted awe on his face.

After what felt like ages, the little boy made it to his mother, all on his own. She scooped him up and rose to her feet, spinning him in the air. Both mother and son crowed with joy.

"Easy, Stepoma, easy!" laughed her mate, gently grabbing her shoulder. "We don't want him getting too excited."

Stepoma laughed, a merry, bell-like sound. "I suppose not." She set her son down on his feet. "I'm just so proud of you!" She tickled him, and he shrieked merrily, reaching for her to pick him up again. After a moment's hesitation, she lifted him back up into her arms. Instantly, he took a handful of her sleek, ebony hair and shoved it into his mouth. "Tani, I love you and all, but that's kind of gross," she said to him, gently taking her hair out of his mouth.

Tani was reluctant to release it, but he did. He leaned his head upon her shoulder, and soon he was peacefully asleep.

"It's not even sundown," Stepoma's mate, Ereyuk, said, staring at Tani and shaking his head in astonishment. "How is he asleep already?" His arms snaked around Stepoma's waist, holding her close to him.

"It's been a big day," she said. "Walking is hard. The first rite of passage."

"The first of many." Ereyuk kissed his mate and his son in turn, a fond smile upon his lips.

Stepoma nodded, and they climbed up the spiral of Hometree. "Let's at least put him to bed. His grandmother will make sure he doesn't get into too much mischief." Ereyuk's mother, Aw'hun, absolutely doted on her grandson to the point where Stepoma worried that the boy would become _too_ spoiled. "Then we can have some time to ourselves."

"Time to ourselves? Whatever will we do with that?" Ereyuk asked in mock wonder, wrapping his arm once more around her.

"Stop it!" she cried, playfully slapping his arm with her free hand. "Wait until we're alone."

Ereyuk rolled his eyes but was a good little boy… at least, until they had left Tani safely with Aw'hun. Then his hand was laced in hers.

Stepoma got a twinkle in her eye, and she ran out of Hometree and into the forest itself. A few Na'vi gave them a strange look, but they paid it no mind. Stepoma was vaguely aware of the celebration that was occurring; she wasn't all that fond of Jakesully anyway. What did it matter to her whether or not he had become a full-fledged Omaticaya? Part of her knew it should matter more than she let on, but she honestly didn't know the _uniltìranyu_ well enough to feel anything other than indifferent about the whole thing. At the moment, Ereyuk was demanding her full attention.

They went to their private spot, a little area not too far from Hometree. It was a strange clearing of the trees, which formed a ring around the secluded spot. It had been in this little hideaway that the pair had made _tsahaylu_ for the second time (after they did so before Eywa at _utral aymokriyä_), and they had gone there ever since if they ever needed time to themselves.

"We're not staying here all night," Stepoma said in a mock stern voice, sitting at the base of a particularly tall tree. "I have much work to be done tomorrow if Jakesully really has become one of us." Stepoma was a _täftxuyu_, and she was in charge of weaving the fabrics that would be used for clothing for all clan members that had gone through _uniltaron_, along with Aw'hun and several others. She was known throughout the clan for her use of bright, cheerful colors, and it was Jake himself that mentioned that he liked her patterns best.

But the fabric could wait until tomorrow. Ereyuk had sat down beside her, and his hand was resting lightly on hers. Stepoma felt a shiver from the top of her head to the tips of her toes; she and Ereyuk had been _muntxa_ for years, and she still felt like the same bashful, love struck little _'eveng_ that she had been when they'd first met.

Ever so gently, they connected their queues. Ripples of desire ran through Stepoma, waves caused by her feelings combining with his. She had to physically work to fight them off, for there was something Ereyuk was trying to show her.

She was watching Tani walk towards her again, but the lens was different, as was the angle. She realized that this was how Ereyuk had seen it. Her mouth opened in a small, shocked "O" when she realized that the fondness and pride in the memory wasn't only directed at Tani; it was directed towards her as well.

She turned and met his eyes, and he kissed her lightly. "I could've have found any better mate, or anyone better to raise a child with."

The light kiss simply wasn't enough for Stepoma. She pressed her lips forcefully to his, and there was no way that they would be separating any time soon.

It took a while, but they did eventually become worn out, and they parted with a sigh, ending their _tsahaylu_ as well. Stepoma leaned against the tree's trunk, trying to ease her racing pulse and gasping breaths. She turned to Ereyuk, who looked very similar, and smiled. "I love you to the ends of the world and back again," she murmured softly.

"And I love you to the moons and the sun and back again." He placed his hand on hers and smiled.

The little back and forth had been an accidental tradition, started when they were having a foolish contest about who loved the other more. The two phrases had slipped out of their mouths, and they had stuck. It was something they said softly to each other, away from prying eyes, like a prayer. They had also taken to saying it to Tani when there was no one else around to hear. A family thing.

"We should be heading back," said Stepoma. Her breathing had finally calmed, and she got to her feet and headed back to Hometree.

Ereyuk got up and followed behind her. By the time they arrived back at Hometree, night had fallen. They climbed the spiraling staircase to the topmost layers of the tree, joining Tani and Aw'hun in their family's chamber. "_Irayo_, _Sa'nok_," Stepoma said softly, relieving her mother-in-law of her duties.

"No trouble at all," the older woman said. "I'll see you at the looms tomorrow morning." She descended the staircase to her own chamber.

Stepoma and Ereyuk climbed into their large family hammock and snuggled in on either side of their son. They looked into each other's eyes for one last lingering moment before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Stepoma awoke, as usual, at the crack of dawn the next morning. The sun was just starting to lighten the sky, and Stepoma was already seated before the small loom that was kept at the base of Hometree. In the canopy, Ereyuk was introducing Tani to a _meresh'ti cau'pla_ for the first time. For now, the child would treat it as a toy. Someday, he would use it to catch his own _ikran_.

She was in the midst of weaving the cloth for Jakesully when she felt a sort of tearing inside of her. It wasn't a physical injury so much as the pain felt at the loss of a loved one.

From somewhere in the canopy, a wail of pure agony was heard, and Mo'at came stumbling down to the main level.

"The _utral aymokriyä_," she managed to gasp as every Na'vi in the common area- Stepoma included- stopped what they were doing and listened. "They've killed it."

Stepoma dropped the fibers she'd been holding, no longer caring whether or not they became tangled. A strangled wail escaped her lips as the Na'vi surrounding her cried out in anguish.

The common area was reduced to chaos until Tsu'tey and Eytukan stood before them all, silencing them with a gesture.

Stepoma wiped the moisture away from her eyes and listened as Tsu'tey ordered a counterattack on the RDA forces. She was only half tuned into what was going on in the center of the room (she was standing near a far wall). Only when she heard Tsu'tey spit out, "You mated with this woman?" did she tune in to the conversation.

"Oh, shit," she heard her old English teacher, Dr. Augustine, say.

It didn't take long for Stepoma to figure out that it was Jakesully and Neytiri that were now _muntxa_. She felt a strange sense of pride for Neytiri, who had never seen Tsu'tey as more than an annoying brother, even though she knew that this had "ruined everything."

This also brought to her mind something that she was ashamed to say had been forgotten in the traumatic turmoil of the moment: Ereyuk and Tani. Were they okay? Was Tani as terrified and confused as everyone else? She wanted to help him, save him from the confusion and horror that everyone else was facing. She wanted to be a shield, protect her mate and her child from whatever evils the _aytawtute_ had come up with. She immediately began fighting to get through the scores of Na'vi that were separating her from the staircase, keeping her away from her mate.

Unfortunately, Tsu'tey had chosen this time to pick a fight with Jakesully. Madness ensued, and the movement of the Na'vi jostled Stepoma out of her path and even further away from her destination.

Quite some time later, Jakesully silenced the crowd and confessed to something terrible.

"A great evil is upon us. The Sky People are coming to destroy Hometree. They will be here soon. You have to leave, or you will die. They sent me here to learn your ways. So one day I could bring this message, and you would believe it."

Stepoma didn't listen to any more of it. She couldn't bear seeing Jakesully, who had always been so polite (if a bit incompetent), confess to being a traitor. She made her way back to her loom and began to untangle the fibers that had fallen on the ground and been trampled, desperate for any kind of distraction.

Hunters left Hometree to go meet the _aytawtute_ face-to-face, and the way to the staircase was finally cleared. Another stroke of bad luck, however, stuck Stepoma with listening to one of the other weavers moan and grieve about what had happened. The others quickly surrounded the pair, and soon Stepoma was trapped against her loom by no fewer than six Na'vi women of varying ages.

_Keep him safe up there_, Stepoma thought frantically, trying to somehow send her thought directly to Ereyuk's mind (without _tsahaylu_). She knew there was no way it would work, but she also knew that he was smart enough to keep Tani up and out of harm's way. She had to get to him, had to make sure her instincts were correct. She had finally managed to shove her way past the gaggle of women when something large and metal flew in her path. She let out a shriek as the thing exploded and fog filled the air, gagging her. Stepoma's eyes watered as she tried to continue on her path up the stairs.

"They'll be fine!" someone coughed, grabbing Stepoma's arm. It took the young woman a moment to realize that it was Ninat, the gentle-hearted singer, a close friend of hers. "We need to move!" Ninat then proceeded to literally drag her out of Hometree. "Run!" she ordered as gagging Na'vi emerged around them.

For a long instant, Stepoma hesitated, torn between a desire to save her family and the instinct to stay safe. Instinct won out, and she bolted into the forest itself, coughing and gagging. She had gotten quite some distance away from the tree when she heard an awful sound above her head, followed by a loud boom behind her.

Stepoma was thrown off of her feet by the force of the blast, landing on her face in the sticks and dirt. Little scratches covered her bare skin, but she only knew because she saw them on her palms and forearms. She turned back towards Hometree as she got up, and she screamed in anguish.

Hometree was aflame. The base of Hometree, the communal area, the place where she'd become a woman, the place where she'd spent her days weaving. The place where the Omaticaya had welcomed her as a woman who had a mate, as a woman with a child. Memory upon memory flooded her mind as she watched helplessly as fire engulfed the roots of Hometree. And the worst of it was that she knew there was nothing she could do.

"RUN!" someone- Stepoma wasn't sure who- cried as the flew past her.

She ignored them, watching with horrified fascination as another set of rockets flew at the base of Hometree.

_BOOM!_

It was a sound that shook the floor, shook the air, shook Stepoma's very soul. The fire at the base of the tree intensified and began to spread further up the tree, as well as to some of the plants surrounding it. She let out a cry that would soften even the hardest of hearts as she backed away from her now-destroyed home. Her walking became a run as Hometree teetered and, as if in slow motion, began to fall.

Her wail of despair became a scream of desperation and horror as she turned her back on Hometree and began to run, faster and harder than she had ever run before, out of the path of falling branches. There was roaring in her ears as she managed to barely get far enough out of the way of the tree. There were screams and cries of pain and horror as people now began to pull themselves up from the wreckage. She turned and saw fire and smoke creeping slowly along the base of the tree. Weeping, she let her feet take her as she fled the scene. Her brain had stopped functioning due to horror, and she began to operate solely on instinct.

It was instinct that led her to flee the wreckage of Hometree. It was instinct that persuaded her to follow after every Na'vi that remained alive as they walked towards a safe refuge. It was instinct that kept her from interacting with anyone, seeing anyone. There was no telling who may betray you or how they may do so.

* * *

Several hours passed, and the Omaticaya were beginning to piece themselves back together. Families were reunited, some mourning the loss of a member, others thanking Eywa that they'd all made it through safely. It was with a heavy heart that Stepoma noticed there were some families missing altogether.

The bittersweet reunions were causing a different kind of chaos, and Stepoma chose to wait for her family by the base of the _vitraya ramunuong_. Ninat was already there, _tsahaylu _formed with the great tree, her eyes closed in deep concentration as tears ran silently down her face. Deciding it was best not to bother her, she bowed respectfully to the tree, then to Neytiri and Mo'at- who were sharing a teary embrace- before calling, at the top of her lungs, "EREYUK!" Pause. "TANI!"

The base of the tree was a few meters taller than the ground surrounding it, and Stepoma found that she could see everyone that surrounded Hometree. Everyone that was left.

She scanned the crowd, her keen eyes narrowing in on each face, searching for the two that meant the most to her.

Nothing.

She must've missed something. There was _no way_ that they didn't make it out. Ereyuk was far too clever for that. He would've found a way out of that tree even if he had to do something incredibly crazy and dangerous. He would've done whatever it took to keep their family together.

Her golden eyes searched the faces of the Omaticaya once again, hoping for some sort of answer. Her breathing accelerated as, once again, the search came back negative. She turned to the nearest Na'vi. "You're sure this is everyone?" she panted, a sickening feeling filling the pits of her stomach.

The Na'vi nodded his head.

Stepoma's mind reeled, and she sank to her knees. Her hands fretfully twisted her hair round and round as she cried, with growing fervor, "EREYUK! TANI!"

There was no response.

An ungodly sound escaped her mouth that could only be described as a wail. Her vision went black. She could no longer see, hear, smell. All she could do was feel. And feeling hurt.

Feeling meant being ripped open from the inside out and having your very life ripped out of you. Feeling meant the sickening plunge of her stomach as bile filled her mouth. Feeling meant a heavy blanket smothering any sort of good feeling that she would ever have again. Feeling meant knowing that the future was bleak and dark and lonely. It wasn't something that Stepoma wanted to fathom. She didn't even know if she even had the ability to fathom it.

It was a future that she knew that she now had to face. There was no one left that would help her through it.

She didn't want their empty condolences. She didn't want to have to hear, "I know how you feel," because that didn't change anything. She had been robbed. The _aytawtute_ had robbed her of her one source of joy in life. There was nothing left for her. Nothing.

Stepoma spent the better part of the afternoon curled in a fetal position in the moss, her eyes blank and unseeing as they stared straight ahead. If she thought hard enough, she could hear Ereyuk's mellow voice and hear Tani's laughter. But she couldn't see them, and the sound faded as if it were an echo.

As she lay in the grass, Stepoma felt her heart and soul filling with a burdensome weight. It wasn't something she'd be able to shake. She'd have to carry it for the rest of her life. She closed her eyes, wringing her hands as she wondered how in Eywa's name she would manage to cope.

Coping, she decided, was the best she could do. She would never be delighted again. She would never feel the loving touch of a mate or a child. It was all over. Within a few hours, Stepoma had become the worst kind of outcast: the self-induced kind.

For years, she remained on the fringes of Na'vi society, refusing to risk losing what little hope she had left. She wouldn't be able to deal with loving and losing again. At any rate, her heart was so full weighed down by her loss that there was no room for anything else. She gave up everything: her friends, her weaving, the communal prayers and meals. She knew, deep down, that she would never be able to love again.

But time heals all wounds, and the heaviness was replaced eventually by a hollow emptiness. Stepoma had expected as much; the loss of a mate and a child were certainly enough to leave you heartbroken and empty.

But then, one not so special day, she discovered a terrified young Na'vi girl hiding in the bushes, and something inside her felt _different_. Warmer.

For the first time in years, a smile flickered across Stepoma's face. "_Oel ngati kameie_, '_evi._"

* * *

**A/N: Any criticism is welcome and appreciated… just try to be nice, okay?**

**GLOSSARY**

_**Uniltìranyu-**_** Dreamwalker**

_**Tsahaylu-**_**Bond**

_**utral aymokriyä-**_** Tree of Voices**

_**täftxuyu-**_** weaver**

_**Uniltaron-**_** Dream Hunt**

_**Muntxa-**_** mated**

'_**Eveng-**_** Child**

_**Irayo-**_** Thank you**

_**Sa'nok**_**- Mother**

_**meresh'ti cau'pla-**_** Banshee Catcher**

_**aytawtute**_**- Sky People, humans**

_**vitraya ramunuong-**_** Tree of Souls**

'_**evi-**_** child, kid (more affectionate and sweet than **_**'eveng**_**)**


End file.
